Vegetarians and Heart, Cancer Risk

Health-conscious people are cutting back on meat more and more, but a new study suggests that eliminating meat completely could have severe long-term consequences.

A vegetarian diet may actually change human DNA and bring about genetic mutations which raise the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Researchers from Cornell University compared hundreds of genomes from a primarily vegetarian population in Pune, India to traditional meat-eating people in Kansas and found there was a significant genetic difference.

Populations who have a mainly vegetarian diet for generations were found to be more likely to carry DNA which makes them susceptible to inflammation. Scientists believe that this mutation occurred to make it easier for vegetarians to absorb essential fatty acids from plants. Generations of vegetarians are more likely to carry genetics that more rapidly metabolize plant fatty acids.

This situation increases the risk for the chronic inflammation that’s implicated in the development of heart disease, and exacerbates cancer. Even worse, the mutation hinders the production of beneficial Omega 3 fatty acid which is protective against heart disease.

But we end on at least one good note – there is different research suggesting that vegetarianism actually lowers the risk of diabetes, stroke and obesity. So, of course, we’re always free to believe the study we choose to believe.

Morality Is Not Universal

You might think that right and wrong are pretty much the same all over the world, but it seems that is not the case. A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America has shed light on how different cultures view different situations of moral judgment.

Researchers looked at 322 people in 10 different societies across six continents. Participants were presented with stories that portrayed a moral situation, and encouraged to make moral judgments about the characters in the stories.

These stories involved cases in which the character participated in potential wrongdoing – like striking another person, stealing, or violating a food taboo. Factors mitigating intent included whether the action was intentional or accidental; or motivated or out of the blue. Each participant heard 4 stories (intentional, accidental, motivated, and out of the blue).

They were then asked to judge the severity of the action, punishment deserved, how the action would affect the character’s reputation, how much the character’s intention played into the action, the outcome, as well as the reaction of the victim.

The results were clear, and clearly contrary to the idea that right and wrong are basic human instincts. Although intentions and mitigating factors play some role in moral psychology across all cultures, the study authors found that it’s different for each society.

The authors concluded that this kind of comparative study across diverse societies will allow us to amend conclusions about human nature that have until now been based solely on Western samples.

Pot Addiction May Be in Your Genes

There has always been a certain amount of mystery as to why some people become addicted to a particular substance or activity, while others never do. Now research has uncovered a clue, at least as far as addiction pertains to marijuana.

A study published yesterday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found a link between 3 genetic markers and symptoms of marijuana dependence – a terrible, life-altering condition in which people can’t stop using the drug even though it interferes with many aspects of their lives, like relationships or work.

In addition, the study showed some overlap between the genetic risk factors for marijuana dependence and the genetic risk factors for depression, suggesting a possible reason why the these two conditions are often found together.

Researchers analyzed information from more than 14,000 Americans who took part in 1 of 3 studies looking into the genetics of substance-use disorders. Between 18% and 36% of the people in these studies had marijuana dependence. The researchers looked for genetic variations, known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, that were linked with symptoms of marijuana dependence.

They found 3 genetic variants that were linked with these symptoms. One of these genetic variants was located in a gene involved in regulating calcium concentrations in blood. Previous studies have found that calcium signaling in the body is important in other substance-use disorders, like opioid dependence.

The investigators hope the new findings will help lead to a better understanding of the biology of marijuana dependence. It’s estimated that 9% of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).